I'm not sure that here is the right place to post this, so feel free to move.

Anyway, recently on Facebook a friend has been struggling with a foster dog (not pit bull) that has some intense resource guarding. A lot of people that do not even know the dog or the situation are telling her to euthanize. Whether or not we think this is right, I don't think that people with no idea of what is going on should be suggesting that. On the other hand, another woman posted that she was appalled that a Facebook friend had an aggressive dog and he euthanized it after it bit his wife, and just a couple of months later they had a puppy. She was frustrated that the dog was euthanized and that the people see pets as disposable.

Here is a message I wrote to her, but have not yet sent. I don't want to offend her or start a war and perhaps I should just not send it at all.

Hello,I don't normally do this- message random strangers. But I couldn't help but notice your comment on ****'s facebook about the dog that was euthanized after biting and then the owners got a puppy.

I own a dog with issues. A large dog. If this dog bit any member of my household, I would choose to have him euthanized. Why? Because he is already known to have issues and I have been counter conditioning and managing him for literally years now (after many people suggested I euthanize him). Because I simply cannot risk mine or my family's well being.

I don't think that pets are disposable (in fact, I used to get quite irritated when I worked pet retail and people would say "They're just $2 fish... if they die, it's okay.") I just think that there comes a time when you have to weigh the risks and act accordingly. As much as I don't like random people with no idea what someone is dealing with to suggest euthanizing a dog, I am equally saddened by people passing judgment on someone that does choose to euthanize a biting dog. Perhaps I am wrong and you knew more about the situation than you let on.

The majority of dog owners have never lived with an aggressive dog. Not just a dog that barks at strangers. I mean an aggressive dog that has bitten people with intent to do harm. A dog that is too much for someone to manage. It's *hard* to find an appropriate home for a dog with a bite history and issues. Sometimes the most humane thing that can be done is to euthanize. It beats ending up in a welded shut crate at a "sanctuary". Or even living out a long, lonely life in a kennel with very little stimulus or interaction- even in the owner's back yard. Sometimes, quality of life is more important than quantity.

I guess I'm just writing you to beg you to please consider that euthanizing a pet is not easy for an owner. Sure, some people *DO* see animals as disposable. Maybe those people did, based on what more you know about them. I'm just begging you to consider that not everyone that chooses to euthanize a truly aggressive dog thinks that animals are disposable. It is the hardest decision that some people will ever have to make.

Thanks guys. I got a reply and while I ruffled her feathers apparently, I did my best to just smooth it over. Haha, and yeah, it started with that dog. But I did openly support that person in her attempts to get to the bottom of the behavior. There just happened to be a lot of people saying she should just euthanize the dog.